Paying for advertising - sh.itjust.works

ironically technically not true

one principle of marketing is the knowledge that the brand actually adds (perceived) value for many consumers, and so they are willing to pay more

It’s true that this is how most consumers act. It’s dumb, but iirc it’s factually correct.

If you take a brand name shirt, remove the logo in a way that is visually perfect, and sell them side-by-side, then the logo shirt will outsell the non-logo shirt. Or so I’ve heard.

Absolutely. There are definitely people like OP who prefer products without branding, but for the majority (average) of consumers in many markets, the branding actually adds value.